One of the key advances in regenerative medicine has been the engraftment of external epithelial stem cells to supplement or replace damaged native cells. However, the difficulty in engrafting internal tissues has hindered the long-term rescue of diseased internal epithelia, such as those in the respiratory airways.
Scientists decode how coronavirus quickly damages lung cells
Updated:
Updated:
February 01, 2021 13:45 IST
They found that when SARS-CoV-2 takes over, it completely changes the cells metabolic processes. The virus even damages the cells nuclear membranes within three to six hours after infection.
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Human lung cells (blue) infected with SARS-CoV-2 (red). Courtesy of Hekman, et al.
They found that when SARS-CoV-2 takes over, it completely changes the cells metabolic processes. The virus even damages the cells nuclear membranes within three to six hours after infection.
Following months of interdisciplinary research assessing tens of thousands of lung cells infected with the novel coronavirus, scientists have created one of the most comprehensive maps to date of the molecular activities that are triggered inside these cells at the onset of the viral infection, an advance that may lead to the development of new drugs to combat COVID-19.